ROYAL RESTORATION
The terrace at the Dunn’s End, complete with a PA hut that
later doubled as a commentary position to relay live match
reports to the neighbouring hospital
The completion of the Main Stand and Dunn’s End terrace, as well as a cover being erected
over the concrete steps at the Main Road end, meant that the Royal Oak was now one of
the best-appointed grounds in the region, just in time to oversee the club’s crowning
achievement in 1953. Despite being battered by the infamous East Coast Floods in Janu-
ary that year the ground held up well to host the club’s three home ties in their nine-game
run to the final of the FA Amateur Cup. In those glory days of the amateur game, a capaci-
ty crowd of 100,000 watched the final at Wembley, although sadly Harwich & Parkeston
were well beaten on the day, 6-0 by the combined universities side Pegasus.
Right: The programme for the 1953 Amateur Cup Final
Below: The team board the bus for Wembley
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Groundtastic - The Football Grounds Magazine